George m



Patented June !3, I899.

G. M. DEPEW.

HOOP.

(Appdcatiun filed Feb. 14, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE M. DEPEW, OF OANANDAIGUA, NEW YORK.

HOOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 626,67 8, dated June 13, 1899.

Application filed February 14, 1899. Serial No. 705,491. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern.- 1

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. DEPEW, a resident of Canandaigua, in the county of Ontario and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hoops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to wire hoops for barrels and the like.

Heretofore a corrugated wire hoop has been proposed, one of the objects sought being to provide an expansible hoop, which object was attained by corrugations or bends in the wire situated contiguous the barrel in a plane parallel to its exterior surface. Such construction is too expansible for many purposes, and this difficulty is aggravated by the necessity of striking the upper part of a bend or corrugation in driving'the hoop, with the effect of spreading the particular corrugations or bends thus acted upon. A further difliculty is that in such construction the single wire lies close to the wood and has not sufficient projection to receive a hammer-blow. This renders it difficult to drive the hoop and practically impossible to do so without marring the barrel by hammer-blows, which also when they hit the hoop effectively are apt to drive it so that it plows into the wood or other material. To remedy these and other objections and provide a convenient andefficient means of joining the hoop ends is the object of my improvement.

The invention consists in the construction herein described and pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a barrel with the improved hoop applied. Fig. 2 is a transverse section. Fig. 3 is a plan of the improved article as it appears before coupling its ends to complete the hoop. Fig. 4: is an enlarged elevation of a small section of the hoop, including coupled ends.

Numeral 1 denotes a barrel, which may be of any usual or desired form. Although a barrel alone is described and illustrated, the improved hoop is applicable to other articles, as will be understood, such as cotton-bales, baled hay, and the like.

' In the case illustrated four improved hoops 2 are applied to a barrel, one near each end and two on the bilge.

If desired, wooden or other hoops 3 may be applied to the barrel at its end; but such hoops are not importantfurther than to guard the chimes.

The hoops are made of wire, to which a spiral form has been given. The particular form and dimensions of the spiral curves may be varied and are not of the gist of the improvement. A spiral whose generatrix makes a revolution for each inch of advance and within a cylinder having a diameter about twice the diameter of wire of No. 10 gage isvery suitable for ordinary apple-barrels or the like.

Suitable lengths of wire spirally formed can be readily bent, with overlapping ends, as indicated in Fig. 3, and these ends can then be easily coupled by joining the overlapped wire ends, the joint appearing as best illustrated in Fig. 4. This juncture of the wire ends can be eifected without putting any new bends in the wire and without the use of a tool and without leaving any projecting wire ends. To permit the ends being joined in the manner described, the spirals of the two ends must be uniform and similar. Ends so formed and joined will closely embrace each other throughout every overlapped part and each wire end will terminate in close contiguity to its fellow wire to leave no projections.

I am aware that the ends of a sc-called corrugated wire have been twisted together in an irregular manner; but .it is characteristic of myimprovement so far as respects the hoop ends that they are formed exact counterparts and are adapted to be coupled without bending and with the effect to produce a compact, uniform, or symmetrical construction, with each wire end fully guarded by the fellow wire. Ahoop thus formed is less expansible than one made of corrugated wire, but expansible enough for barrels under ordinary conditions. Portions of it stand out from the exterior surface of the barrel about twice the diameter of the wire or more, and is therefore better adapted to be driven. Less force is required to drive the improved hoop,for the reason that the parts contiguous the barrelsurface are inclined to its axis, and this also obviates the danger of the wires plowing into ployed. If a part of the hoop only were spirally formed and a part made without spirals, the

latter part would be more liable to plow into the Wood, and it is preferable to make the entire hoop of spirally-curved Wire, as herein shown and described.

After the hoop has been suitably placed on the barrel the pulling apart of the joined ends is prevented by the contact of every turn of both spirals with the barrel-surface and would require a considerable force even if it were free from the barrel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. A hoop comprising a spirally -formed strand having ends adapted to be coupled together.

2. A hoop comprising a wire spirally curved throughout its length, its ends adapted for 20 looking by intertwining of the spirals.

3. A hoop comprising a spirallyformed strand having its ends adapted for coupling together without other fastening means.

4:. A hoop comprising a spirally-formed Wire having ends adapted for interlocking, the ends when locked together having the same dimensions as the remainder of the hoop.

5. A spirallyformed Wire hoop having its ends adapted for adjustable connection, whereby the size of the hoop may be varied.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE M. DEPEW.

Witnesses:

W. H. TUTTLE, H. H. JONES. 

